He was earlier president of the local Indian association for Huntsville and Madison.

He had also served on the board of the international exchange programs Global Ties Alabama and International Services Council of Alabama.

A mechanical engineer by training, Karlapalem studied at Delhi College of Engineering in India. He said he moved to Alabama when his wife, Vidya, took a job in software development in the Huntsville area 16 years ago. He earned a master’s in management information systems from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Madison is a diverse small city. Over half of the residents were born in another state, and eight percent were born in another country.